Mediocre But Arrogant  (English, Paperback, Bhaduri Abhijit)

Abbey completes Economics Hons. from Delhi University and with no real purpose enrols in the HR course in the Management Institute of Jamshedpur(MIJ). How Abbey, the aimless drifter lives through the new years of MBA is the journey Bhaduri takes readers on. This is a journey that begins without a real destination and relishes in the many liaisons, friendships and experiences along the way to graduation.

Summary Of The Book

Mediocre But Arrogant 1st Edition is a light hearted take on the MBA life, set in the fictitious MIJ in the 1980s. In the novel, Abbey is seen grappling with his present and alternately reminiscing about his past in Delhi and his home. Abhijit Bhaduri also placed an additional weight on the protagonist by writing this in the first person narrative. The two years are Abbey’s own journey from boyhood into the unchartered territory of adulthood.

He makes his band of friends in MIJ who are spontaneously witty and warm. His classmates are discussed in the novel too, from the ‘slimy’ Gopher, ‘know-it-all’ Rusty to the ‘brains’ Sethu. Their banters and exuberance all add to the narrative. Abbey’s journey is all that more memorable because of these characters that infuse life into the story. The professors aren’t spared any mercy where Abbey and his friends’ rants convey ‘Haathi’ and ‘Chatto’ very succinctly to the readers.

Mediocre But Arrogant 1st Edition also explores Abbey’s relationships and romantic liaisons. And instead of charting the normal route, in this novel Abbey has three women playing the romantic interest(s). There is Priya, Keya and Ayesha and through this journey, each of them profoundly affect his life and the choices he makes. Crafted as a delightfully intimate look into the revered MBA life, Mediocre But Arrogant 1st Edition doesn’t flaunt complex overriding themes or subplots. It is a coming-of-age story of a boy taking decisive steps to adulthood while at a prestigious institution.

What Bhaduri does well is weave a story that works to demystify the life of an MBA student and also portray the agonies and ecstasies associated with growing up. Aimed at the youth for readership, the narrative invokes a lot of humour and relatable content that breaches the 1980’s setting that it is written in. It opened as No. 2 on the NDTV.com Bestsellers list.

About Abhijit Bhaduri

Abhijit Bhaduri is an HR honcho and also an Indian author.

His debut offering was Mediocre But Arrogant 1st Edition and it was popular enough to inspire a sequel, Married But Available. Don’t Hire The Best is his third book that deals with picking the right team of recruits based on his domain expertise in HR.

He graduated in Economics Hons from Delhi University and went on to pursue a course in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations in  Xavier Labour Relations Institute, Jamshedpur. He went on to lead HR teams for PepsiCo, Colgate and Tata Steel before working for Wipro as their Chief Learning Officer. He is among the top ten HR influencers according to SHRM. He is married to Nandini and they have two children, Eshna and Abhishek.